Orienteers based around the city didn’t have to far to travel for the sixth event in the CorkO Summer League which took place at Tramore Valley Park on Tuesday evening. The central location and the fine evening enticed over one hundred orienteers into action on the night. On entering the park participants could observe fellow competitors traversing the steep hills on this open park land terrain and got an insight into what lay ahead of them.

This location hasn’t featured in our summer league in a number of years so for many of our regular supporters this was a new map and unfamiliar landscape. However, this area is a popular location for many schools orienteering events so no doubt several of the juniors in the field might have had a slight competitive edge on the night. As commuters journeyed home along the roads adjacent to the park orienteers got to escape this mayhem and enjoy an adventure in the heart of the city.

The Short course took participants along many of the wide tracks in the park and across the tightly mowed grass. The Long course entrants had to contend with much longer grass as they trekked across the steep mound on various legs. The course began with a tough scramble up the hill to control one which was followed by a fast descent to control two. Some contouring was required on the next few legs to eliminate needless climb. The approach to control four proved costly for some on the night. Those who failed to spot the stream around the perimeter of the hill had to detour to a crossing point or take a giant leap! While others who entered the control site via the northern trail got pushed into some of the thicker vegetation around the control. There was plenty of route choice on the legs from 5 to 6 and from 7 to 8. Many opted to take advantage of the faster running on the wide trails over the harsh slog through the long grass.

Sadly, the charred remains of the historic Vernon Mount were clearly visible in the distance as participants traverse the south side of the hill to control 9. Following the steep ascent to control 12 the downhill running to control 13 was to be enjoyed. The long grass and some of the rough terrain was draining at time so the finishing legs across the flat and smooth playing pitches and their surrounds was most welcome. Entrants might have spotted the BMX tracks when they were traversing the park and some competitors came well prepared and even enjoyed a post run cool down by cycling across these bumps and mounds. Others opted to relax on the grass and enjoy some of the light refreshments on offer.

Right throughout the field the competition was fierce on the night. On the Long course Conrad Daly returned to his winning ways on this hilly terrain. He punched all 14 controls on the Long course in a time of 25:38 and got to add the Tramore Valley Park event winner title to his collection of event wins in the 2017 Summer League to date. He is fast becoming the favourite for the title of 2017 Summer League Champion. Runner-up on the night was Dan McDonnell he completed the trying course in a time of 28:32. His competitive history at school’s events may have poor beneficial at this location. Third place went to Cian O’Mahony who punched the finish in a time of 29:51.

The fastest lady around Tramore Valley Park was Niamh Corbett she made short work of the long grass and steep terrain finishing in a time of 30:36 which also saw her finish fourth in the overall results. Of the four events Niamh has attended she has finished first in each race and is the current favourite for the Women’s Summer League title. Second place on the night went to Sinead O’Donoghue who completed the course in a time of 35:48 and maintains her streak of podium finishes in all of the Summer League events so far. Fiona Power made her Summer League debut on Tuesday night and claimed third place in the process when she punched the finish in a time of 37:16.

On the Short course Willie Fitzgerald proved that it is not just the pupils that were familiar with this terrain from schools events but also the teachers too. He claimed the Short course event win when he completed the course in a time of 15:12. Runner up on the night was Patrick O’Sullivan who covered the course in a time of 17:56. Ruairi and Adrian O’Sullivan combined their navigational skills to claim third place finishing in a time of 18:02.

Well done to all who participated on the night. Full individual results with split times are available at the following link:

Huge thanks this week to Liam O’Brien for planning and organising this event. Thanks also to Willie Fitzgerald for assisting with registration, David O’Donovan for taking care of starts and to Gerald Duffy for sourcing the refreshments at the finish and for assisting with control collection. Thanks also to Mick and his Cork City Council vehicle which certainly speeded up the control collection process and ensured no one got locked inside the park on the night.

We are very thankful to the Cork Schools Orienteering Association (CSOA) for giving us the use of their map for this event.

We are also extremely grateful to Cork City Council for granting us evening access to this central amenity to stage our orienteering event.

The next event in the Summer League will take us to Corrin Hill Wood near Fermoy. The hill of Corrin is a prominent landmark south of Fermoy and a very historical site. The mound at the summit dates back over 3000 years to the Bronze Age so I'm sure there will be some interesting features for all to see as they navigate around this hill next week. Further directions and location trivia are available here:www.corko.net/maps/corrin